Adjustable bookholder



1386- 1933. F. J. MARSEGLIA ADJUSTABLE BOOKHOLDER Filed May 3, 1930 m Jma My T? m MM m PM A w 5w Patented Dec. 5, 1933 UNITED STATES ADJUSTABLEBOOKHOLDER Faust J. Marseglia, Astoria, N. Y.

Application May 3, 1930. Serial No. 449,562

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in book holders for supportingbooks in the proper position to be read, and has more particularrelation to improvements in such holders as are adjustable andcollapsible, as, for instance, the socalled knock-down holders.

The object of the invention is to provide a light and easilyadjustedholder for diiierent size books which may be utilized eitherresting on the leg oi the reader or on a table, and also with the readerreclining in bed with his head resting sidewise upon the pillow.

Another object of the invention is to provide a Wire frame-work havingbook-holding loops and provided with an adjustable book holder by whichthe book may be held in either an upright or horizontal position.

Another object or" the invention is to provide a bookholder of the typementioned, in which the different parts may be collapsed or knocked downfor packing or shipping or for stowing away when not in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bookholder capable ofbeing rested upon the leg and adjustable for different size legs.

The invention also has other objects which will be hereinafter moreparticularly set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, Figure 1represents a perspective View of the devices embodying my invention.

Figure 2 represents a central vertical section through the same adjustedfor use with the, book in a horizontal position for reading in bed, and

Figure 3 represents a detail enlarged side elevation partly in section,of the construction of the joint and locking plates.

Of course holders or packs made of wire are 46 very old in the art, andapplicant makes no claims on such, but holders made of wire or lightmetal and capable of adjustment for holding different size books eitherin vertical or vertical-inclined positions or in horizontal positions asdesired, in a manner to secure the proper reading vision for both pages,is new as far as applicant is aware.

This invention described in detail, comprise two inclined wire booksupports 1. The lower ends of these side bars or supports are bentforward and then formed into two book holding loops 2 which are parallelwith the side bars 1, being bent in slightly as shown in Figure 2. Thetwo loops are connected by a suitable cross bar 4. The upper end of eachside bar 1 is slightly offset as at 5 to prevent the sleeve 6 fromslipping down on the bar, the upper end of the bar being headed as at '7to preventthe sleeve from slipping up. Thesleeve is formed on one end ofthe pivoted locking plate 3 and is curled about the wire while beingformed and clamped or swedged in position. One of the plates 3 islocated at one end of each of the side bars 1. Each of these plates isprovided with a pivoting aperture 8 and a locking aperture 9. The rearinclined rest is formed with side bars 10 bent into loops 11 at theirupper ends so that the projecting portion 12 of each loopwill press intoits respective opening 9 when the upper end of the support is passedthrough the pivoting'aperture 8; a corresponding loop 13 being formed onthe opposite side of the plate 3 so that the spring action of the twoloops will be opposed to each other, and the shaped centers of theseloops will tend to meet within the aperture 9. This normally holds thebars 10 in their inclined extended positions as shown in Figure 1 butwhen the device is to be collapsed for shipping or storing away, thebars 10 are forced toward the bars lwhen the loops 11 and l3'willsnapout of the apertures 9, but these loops continue to bear upon theplates 3 and will hold, the rear support member in its position close tothe bars 1.

This makes a package that is very much smaller in area, and can bestored away when not in use by the purchaser in a limited space.

Each of the loops 13 terminates in a downwardly extending bar 14, thisbar at its lower end being curled into an eye 15 which surrounds a rod16, this rod 16, in turn being formed with an eye 17 that surrounds therod 14, thus making a sliding joint at this point. The rod 16 extendsupward and then laterally, forming a yoke 18, the opposite side of thisyoke being similarly slidable in a duplicate bar 14 connected to theloop 13. The yoke 18 at its middle is bent into a retaining loop 19 onwhich is pivoted a stamped holder plate 20 provided at its end with apivoted spring clip 21 arranged to be slipped over the book in theholder as shown in Figure 2.

The lower ends of the side bars 10 are bent inward and upward as at 22and 23, the end of the'bar 23 being bent into an eye about the bar 22and the end of the bar 22 being bent into an eye about the bar 23. Bythis means the bars 1010 may be spread and the diameter of the circleincreased to fit different size legs, the spring of the metal 22 and 23allowing the curvature to shift as the bars 10-10 are separated,

the eyes on the bars 22 and 23 having sufficient friction to retain theparts in their adjusted positions.

When it is desired to use the holder with a book in a vertical position,the book is opened to slip behind the loops 2 resting on the inclinedportions 24 connecting the bars 1 and the loops, the book being thusheld in an open position. At this time if it is desired to change theinclination of the book in the vertical position, it is brought forwardfrom its position of rest against the inclined bars 1-1 and is held inthis forward position by the spring clip being snapped over the upperedge of the book and cover and the yoke 18 being raised or lowered togive the proper adjustment.

As shown in Figure 2, the book is to be held in a horizontal positionwith the reader lying in bed with his head upon a pillow and thedirection of his vision being sidewise and parallel with the bedsurface. This usually is almost an impossible position in which to readas it is next to impossible to hold a book in the proper position withthe hands alone.

With the present invention, however, the book is placed in this positionand the holder 21 and yoke 18 adjusted so that the line of visionbetween the two exposed pages is practically the same and the pages areextended practically at right angles to the line of vision, and not anacute angle in which the reading becomes very difiicult and injurious tothe eyes.

The pivoted portion 20 of the book holder allows for different sizebooks being used and readily held in position by forcing the clip 21over the free pages of the book. This clip, when no pages are betweenit, practically has its two spring sections in contact so that no matterhow few pages are to be held in the clip, they will be firmly clamped inposition as shown in Figure 2. For instance, the reader, in order toturn a page, simply applies slight pressure to the curved portion of theclip 21, and with his other hand moves the page until it slips fromunder the clip, and then drops it in position back of the two clips 2.

When the device is to be used resting upon the leg of the reader, thebar 4 will rest at one point while the curved bars 22 and 23 will restat a point near the knee, and these bars may be forced together orspread apart to properly clamp the knee so that the holder will notslip, and in order to adjust it for different size legs.

When the yoke 18 is not in use, it, of course, will drop to its lowerposition, and if desired, the eyes 15 and 17 may be so closely fitted tothe yoke as to hold the yoke by friction in its elevated or depressedpositions.

It will further be seen that the length of the arms of the yoke 18 issuch that the yoke cannot be disengaged from the eyes 15 and 17 as theupper eyes 17 will contact with its particular loop 13 before the lowerends of the yoke rod have disengaged from the eyes 15.

As before stated, when it is desired to collapse or knock down this bookholder either for shipping or for storing it away when not in use, theholder is grasped in the two hands and the bars 10 and 1 drawn togetherby pressure of the fingers. This causes the loops 11 and 13, to snap outof the apertures 9 in which they are normally held in position, and thebars 10 to assume a position adjacent to the bars 1.

This brings the whole structure into practically a single horizontalplan as shown in full lines in Figure 3. In this position the wholedevice takes up very little room and is only about two and one-half totwo and three-quarters inches thick.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by-Letters Patent is:

1. In a book-holder, the combination with an inclin d book supportingframe having book retaining loops, of a supporting frame pivoted to thefirst mentioned frame, and having a rigid upwardly curved laterallyadjustable thigh rest and brace at its lower end.

2. In a book-holder, the combination with an inclined book-holdingframe, of a supporting frame for the first mentioned frame, a verticallyadjustable frame connected to the second frame and a pivotedbook-holding spring clip mounted on the vertically adjustable frame.

3. In a book-holder the combination with an inclined frame having sidemembers and a cross member and book holding loops, of a pivotedsupporting frame having side members and connected to the firstmentioned frame, and a laterally adjustable curved thigh rest connectingthe pivoted side members of the supporting frame for holding the book inpositions of different inclinations as desired and adjustable to thecontour of the thigh upon which it rests.

4. In a book-holder, the combination with a book holding frame havinginclined book supporting bars, of an adjustable frame carrying a bookclamp whereby the inclination of the book may be changed at will, and apivoted support with spring devices for holding the inclined booksupporting bars in supporting or collapsed positicns.

FAUST J. MARSEGLIA.

